Gulf States’ Soft-Power Diplomacy in South Asia Portfolio Power, Strategic Competition, and Implications for Pakistan

Abstract

This paper discusses the influence of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Qatar in South Asia using portfolios comprising of religious legitimacy, humanitarian action,
sovereign investment, access to labor market, cultural and sports branding, media, mediation
and security assurance. It posits that the traditional language of soft power is still needed but
it is not enough: attraction tends to be more and more incorporated into material access and
long-lasting institutional relations. India has transformed demographic size, trade
framework, talented manpower, technology, and perpetuated leadership diplomacy to
comparatively thick Gulf associations. Pakistan has had outstanding religious, societal,
humanitarian, and defense networks, yet has tended to deploy them on an episodic basis and
via the elite, as opposed to institutionalizing them into an institutional capability. This
contrast is enhanced by the Saudi Pakistan Strategic Mutual Défense Agreement that was
signed on 17 September 2025. It elevates the status of Pakistan as a contributor to security
and can build confidence, but defense promises are not soft power and cannot replace
competitiveness, labor protection, sharing of knowledge and deliver credible projects. Conceptualizing the notion of portfolio power which is based on asymmetric interdependence, the article suggests a Pakistani approach that revolves around coproduction: mutually recognized skills, projects that are investable, diaspora institutions, cultural and academic networks, humanitarian preparedness and governance of security discipline. The main argument is that inherited affinity can be useful only in the case when it
is transformed into mutual value in the society.